Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 444

However, a fortified city like Guzang cannot be captured in a short time.

Liu Daogui was not in a hurry. With the support of powerful clans in Liangzhou, the army on the western expedition had no problem with food supplies.

After the surrender of Western Qin, the captured grain amounted to 300,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), 130,000 head of cattle, sheep and horses, and 1.2 million strings of cash.

This is just the figure reported as retribution for Wang Zhen's misdeeds; the amount he embezzled is unknown.

The price difference between grain and cattle and sheep is not significant, so the soldiers would not touch these things. However, given the strength of the Western Qin state, the amount of money and silk involved is far more than a mere million strings of cash.

The Qifu family managed the various prefectures of Longyou for four generations, and over fifty or sixty years, they accumulated an unknown amount of money and silk.

Sure enough, a few days later, a flood of official documents from the military commanders, officers, and guards of the Western Army accused Wang Zhen'e of embezzling no less than a million strings of cash, even taking the hairpins and jewels of the women of the Qifu clan, and packing up and shipping all the bronzes in Fuhan City...

Following the example set by those above, the former subordinates of the Western Prefecture also began to plunder the entire city.

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Let it be." Liu Daogui didn't take it to heart.

Greed and desire can sometimes be a driving force. The Northwest is bitterly cold; without such benefits, who would be willing to fight to the death against the barbarians?
Even if you eat meat yourself, you should also let others drink the soup.

Those who constantly preach benevolence, righteousness, and morality are precisely the most unbenevolent and immoral people.

Liu Daogui wove mats and sold shoes in his early years, and he knew the hardships of people at the bottom of society, so he followed the principle of "profit" in everything he did.

However, despite his greed, Wang Zhen'e was very careful not to annex people and land, nor did he seize grain and livestock. He even organized grain routes to transport grain from Longyou to the front lines in Guzang.

In fact, given his status and military achievements, embezzling these money and silks was not a big deal at all.

Moreover, this money and grain were seized from the enemy.

The battle in Guzang was still at a stalemate, so Liu Daogui ordered Wang Zhen'e to lead his army into Ledu and take over Southern Liang.

The Hexi Xianbei people lived and thrived in Liangzhou for over two hundred years, engaging in agriculture and sericulture, maintaining good relations with neighboring countries, and maintaining stability within their territory. They had already broken away from the habits of nomadic tribes.

At its peak, it conquered Guzang and defeated the army of Yao Qin.

However, with the rise of Helian Bobo and Juqu Mengxun in recent years, the living space of Southern Liang has been gradually squeezed.

In the third year of the Yixi era (407), Helian Bobo asked to marry the daughter of Tuoba Rutan, but was refused. Helian Bobo then led an army of 20,000 to attack the Southern Liang. He fought from Yangfei to Zhiyang, crossing more than 300 li across the border, killing and wounding more than 10,000 Southern Liang soldiers, and plundering 27,000 people and hundreds of thousands of cattle, horses and sheep. In the Battle of Yangwu, he defeated the Southern Liang, pursued them for more than 80 li, and killed more than ten Southern Liang generals. Helian Bobo built the "Skull Terrace" before returning.

The Southern Liang dynasty suffered a severe blow and declined from then on, retreating to the Hehuang region.

In the Battle of Zhanyin, Helian Bobo and Juqu Mengxun's army of 70,000 to 80,000 men was defeated by Mao Dezhu's 3,000 men, who also killed Helian Bobo. Tuoba Rutan was the most shocked and took the initiative to surrender.

In fact, for such a small country, even without Liu Daogui's attack, it would be difficult for it to survive. Surrender was his best option.

Wang Zhen'e entered Ledu and escorted the bald-headed clan to Chang'an. He immediately incorporated the Southern Liang army into his forces, selected 8,000 elite soldiers, and left Wang Zhao to guard the Hehuang region. Then, he immediately led his army north to assist in the attack on Guzang.

Even with the addition of Wang Zhen'e's 20,000 troops, they still failed to breach Guzang City.

Liu Daogui wrote a private letter to Liu Yixing, telling him to be patient, as siege battles often lasted a year or two.

With the support of Western Qin and Southern Liang, food supplies were no longer a problem.

Liu Yixing then conscripted able-bodied men from Liangzhou to build a fortified city, completely surrounding Guzang. He then established settlements and sent three generals, Duan Hong, Suo Miao, and Han Mao, with 10,000 infantry and cavalry to advance westward, capturing Jiuquan and Zhangye prefectures and recovering the Shandan horse farm.

Liangzhou in this era was extremely wealthy, situated in a vital passage for merchants. After hundreds of years of development during the Han Dynasty, it was no less prosperous than the Central Plains.

Crucially, there's also the world's largest horse breeding ground, Shandan Horse Ranch.

During the Han-Xiongnu Hexi War, Huo Qubing captured Yanzhi Mountain and believed that "horses are of great use to our country in terms of armor and weapons," so he built the Shandan Horse Ranch.

The Xiongnu, having lost the Hexi Corridor, lamented: "We have lost our Qilian Mountains, causing our livestock to cease breeding; we have lost our Yanzhi Mountains, causing our women to lose their beauty."

In the early Han Dynasty, thirty-six pastures were established in Liangzhou, raising 300,000 horses.

Liu Daogui didn't aim to restore the original 300,000 horses; if he could reach even half that number, the Tiger Guard Army would truly be invincible. Wherever their hooves trod, the Han kingdom's territory would expand!

This is also the greatest significance of establishing the capital in Chang'an.

Controlling Guanzhong means controlling Hexi, and controlling Hexi means covering the Western Regions and the northern deserts. Geographical destiny determines the fate of a country.

Spring plowing was over, but Guzang had not yet been breached. Liu Daogui could not help but admire the Xiongnu people's tenacity.

But no matter what, a lone city could not withstand the rising power of the Central Plains Empire.

Liu Daogui conscripted 8,000 able-bodied men and 1,000 artisans, and also sent Zhang Gang, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, to build siege weapons.

"Report—Governor Mao and General Fu have captured Helian Gui, Helian Chang, and Helian Lun alive, taken 40,000 able-bodied men prisoner, and seized 210,000 head of livestock. They are on their way back to Chang'an."

The scouts' voices were tinged with a hint of joy.

"Excellent!" Liu Daogui clapped his hands and laughed.

Things won't go smoothly in the west, but they will go very smoothly in the north.

Helian Bobo died, and Hu Xia became frail and weak. Within three months, he was wiped out by Mao Dezhu.

The 210,000 head of livestock recouped all the investment from the past two years.

There are also 40,000 able-bodied men, making the manpower in Guanzhong abundant.

As expected, war is extremely profitable. In this era, the Tiger Guard Army's combat power is unparalleled in the world. With swords in hand and horses on their backs, there is no need for them to honestly farm and herd livestock.

An army that can emerge from the chaos of the Central Plains is basically invincible.

Huo Qubing was able to sweep across Hexi and Mobei with 10,000 cavalry, bringing back huge profits. Liu Daogui believed that the Tiger Guard Army could do the same.

Those small kingdoms in the Western Regions, having been separated from the Central Plains for over a hundred years, were already incredibly wealthy.

Liu Daogui personally went out of the city to Weibei to welcome Mao Dezhu and Fu Hongzhi.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the men and horses moved like tigers and dragons. After the Battle of Zhanyin, the Tiger Guard soldiers showed no signs of fatigue. Although their armor was dirty and disheveled, it exuded an aura of invincibility.

"Meet the king!"

The soldiers reined in their horses, stood at attention, and awaited Liu Daogui's inspection.

"The Han army under Wei Wu, the Han dynasty is invincible!" Liu Daogui couldn't help but shout out these words.

"The Han Dynasty is invincible!" The cheers of the soldiers were deafening and resounded.

Once the soldiers' enthusiasm had subsided slightly, Liu Daogui ordered, "Bring up Helian Bobo's clansmen!"

Fu Hongzhi led over a hundred soldiers to drive forward five or six hundred members of the Hu Xia imperial family and nobles.

"Execute!" Liu Daogui ordered expressionlessly.

The surrounding soldiers were stunned for a moment, but still carried out the order as usual, carrying their swords and spears to surround and kill from all sides. Screams echoed and heads rolled everywhere.

Within half an incense stick's time, five or six hundred corpses lay on the ground.

Unlike Yao Xing, Qifu Chipan, and Tufa Rutan, who were actively Sinicizing, Helian Bobo embraced Hu culture, abandoned the Liu surname, created the Helian clan, and rebuilt the Xiongnu royal lineage.

If we don't nip it in the bud, others might follow suit.

In the more than ten years since its rise to power, it has slaughtered countless people in the Guanzhong region, leaving corpses strewn across the land.

Liu Daogui's extermination of his entire family can be seen as a way of avenging the people of Guanzhong.

(End of this chapter)